Bengaluru: Elderly man loses ₹7.44 lakh in alleged SIM-swap cyber fraud

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. The East CEN Crime Police Station has registered a cybercrime case after a 62-year-old man allegedly lost ₹7.44 lakh from his bank account in what is suspected to be a SIM-swap fraud. | Photo Credit: Getty Images The East CEN Crime Police Station has registered a cybercrime case after a 62-year-old man allegedly lost ₹7.44 lakh from his bank account in what is suspected to be a SIM-swap fraud. The complainant stated that his mobile phone number stopped functioning between May 31 and June 7, 2026. During this period, he was unable to make or receive calls and messages despite having sufficient balance and service validity until August 2026. According to the complaint, he approached the mobile service centre in Kammanahalli regarding the issue. He was initially informed that the problem would be resolved within 48 hours, but the resolution timeline was subsequently extended by another 24 hours. The mobile number reportedly resumed normal functioning only on June 10. When he later attempted to access his mobile banking application, he encountered login issues. He then visited a nearby ATM and obtained a mini statement using his debit card. The statement revealed multiple unauthorised transactions from his bank account during the period when his mobile number was inactive. Upon contacting customer care, he learned that fraudulent transactions amounting to ₹7,44,831 had been carried out from his savings account. The complainant immediately reported the incident through the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930). Based on the complaint, the East CEN Crime Police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, pertaining to identity theft, cheating by personation using computer resources, and cheating.